Manufacture of slide fasteners



March .18, 1941..

.E. KALW EIT MANUFACTURE OF SLIDE FASTENERS- Filed May 28, 19:58 S' SheetS-Sheet 1 INVENTOR [OW/1P0 KALWE/T A RNEY March 18, 1941.-

MANUFACTURE OF SL'IDE FASTENERS Filed May 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet. 2'

lNVENTOR EDWARD KAL WEI? BY Mm AT RNEY March18, 1941. E 2235.373

MANUFACTURE OF SLIDE FASTENERS .Filed May 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I i v INVENTOR 1 sown/a0 KALWE/T A yw RNEY March 18, 1941." E. KALWEIT MANUFACTURE OF 51 1B FASTENERS Filed May 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 5014 4190 AdlWE/T BY [y A RNEY March 18, K W

MANUFACTURE OF SLIDE FASTENERS Filed May 28, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR EDWARD AALWE/T I BY AT ORNE Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES MANUFACTURE OF SLIDE FASTENERS Edward Kalweit, South Ozone Park, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Lapin Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 28, 1938, Serial No. 210,774

2 Claims.

The invention herein disclosed relates to the manufacture of slide fasteners.

Special objects of the invention are to provide a practical method, machine and construction 5 for manufacture of slide fasteners in molded plastic materials; to provide for rapid accurate and economical manufacture of slide fasteners generally and to accomplish these and other desirable objects in accordance with efi'icient commercial manufacturing requirements.

The objects are attained by novel features of construction, operation, combination and relation of parts hereinafter described, illustrated'in the accompanying drawings and broadly covered in the claims.

The drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention. Structure and operation may be modified however as regards this particular disclosure, all within the true spirit of the invention and the broad scope of the claims.

Fig. 1 is a broken side elevation of one of the machines for cutting the fastener elements from a strip of spaced elements and for securing them in the desired spaced relation to the tape or 25 other mounting medium.

Fig. 2 is a broken plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2a is an enlarged detail of a length of the molded strip indicating how the individual elements are severed from the connecting web or rib portion of the strip.

Fig. 2b is a detail of operating connections as appearing on substantially the line 2b2b of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view as on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a broken vertical sectional View on a larger scale on substantially the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged broken detail view of the tape gripping and feeding jaw mechanism as on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a broken sectional detail showing one of the strip feeding dogs, as appearing on substantially the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a broken sectional and partial plan view as on line 'l'| of Fig. 4, illustrating details of the strip advancing to the cut-off punch and one of the severed elements transferred to and secured over the edge of the tape.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional detail as on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, showing the punch as having out olf one of the fastener elements and the latter as having been engaged over the edge of the tape.

Fig. 9 is a broken sectional detail as on substantially the line 99 of Fig. 4, showing the application of solvent or adhesive to the tape.

Fig. 10 is a broken enlarged detail of the jaws for setting the elements over the edge of the tape.

In the form of the invention illustrated, the fastener elements are molded in spaced edge-toedge relation projecting flatwise fromthe side of an integral connecting rib or web forming thus a strip to be advanced step-by-step into themachine and from which individual fastener units are severed and secured, over the edge of the mounting tape.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the machine is shown as having a guideway II, for the flat strip fastener stock and in'Fig. 2a., the latter is indicated as made up of fastener elements having correspondingseats and projections l2, l'3, on opposite faces and spaced jaws Hi, for engagement over the edge of the tape, these jaws being connected togather and to a main connecting web or rib [5, by short webs or flanges IS.

The guideway H, is shown as a shallow open channel having a width slightly greater than the total width of the web and connected laterally projecting elements and as deeper along one edge at ll, Figs. 7 and 8, to receive the thicker web portion [5, while supporting the flat top surface of the strip in substantial horizontal relation.

The strip stock is advanced into the machine,

in the illustration by feed dogs l8, Figs. 1, 2 and 6, pivoted at [9, on slides 20, operating in'guides 2|, and linked together at 22, one slide having a pin 23, engaged by one arm of a bell crank 24, pivoted on the frame of the machine at 25, and actuated by a link 26, which is rocked from the 'cam 2'l,Fig. 2. v

The feed dogs 18 are positioned to reciprocate over the guideway II, substantially as'shown in Fig. 6, and to engage in back of the jaw portions M, of the individual elements. The stroke of the connected feed slides is suiiicient, to advance the strip stock one element at a time. Retrograde movement of the strip is prevented on the recovery stroke of the feed dogs by a spring 4 pressed detent or detents such as indicated at 28, bearing -on the strip material, where it passes beneath the holddown 29. Overfeed of the stock is prevented in the illustration by having the foremost connected element come up against a front stop 30, shown in Figs. 7 and 8, as intercepting the shallower portion of the guide groove at the point where the elements are severed from the strip.

Severance of the fastener elements from the parent strip is effected in the illustration by a cutting punch 3|, operating down through a die opening 32, in the guide channel directly in line with the element advanced to the front stop 30. 5 Fig. 4 illustrates that condition of the parts in which the punch has severed the leading element from the strip and has struck it down or permitted it to drop down through the die passage into position on the forked tongue 33, of a transfer slide 34. The latter is actuated horizontally and at a right angle to the movement of the feed slide, Fig. 2, by providing it with a pin 35, engaged by the adjoining slotted ends 36, of bell crank lever 24 and cam lever 26. It will be seen in Fig. 2, that by this interconnection of parts, the single cam 21, will effect both the longitudinal reciprocation of the feed slide and thelateral actuation of the transfer slide and that the latter will operate to shift a severed fastener element from beneath the punch during the recovery or retractive movement of the feed slide.

The punch for cutting the fastener elements one at a time from the stock strip is shown as carried by a slide 31, reciprocating in a vertical guide 38, said slide having connected to it at 39, one end of a lever 40, Fig. 1, pivotally supported at its opposite end at 4|, and carrying a cam roll 42, engaging in a groove cam 43. This cam as well as cam 21, previously mentioned and other cams yet to be described are all mounted on a common shaft 44, driven by a belt pulley 45, or otherwise.

The tape or stringer material which may be of the conventional beaded edge form is indicated at 46, and as extending from a supply spool 41, over a guide roll 48, and downward through a pressure clamp made up of companion jaws 49, 50, the latter being pivoted at 5|, Fig. 2, and yieldingly drawn toward each other by spring 40 The tape is advanced downwardly a step at a time for the desired spacing of the units on the tape by means consisting in the illustration of cooperating feed jaws 53, 53, pressed together by spring 54, Fig. 5 against opposite sides of the tape, said jaws extending from a common pivotal support 55, at the rear, Fig. 4, about opposite sides of a cam 56, fixed on oscillatory shaft 51. The latter is oscillated by means of a rock arm 58, carrying a cam roll 59, engaging face cam 66, on shaft 44, Fig. 2. The rocker arm 58 is shown as acted on by a spring BI and the movement is such that at one time the cam 56, will spread the jaws to free them of the tape and following that the spring 54 will close the jaws as at Fig. 5, to firmly grip the tape.

The tape feed jaws 53, are raised and lowered, in the illustration by a link 62, pivoted at one end to the jaws at 63, and pivoted at the oppo- 60 site end at 64, to a lever 65, pivotally mounted intermediate its ends at 66, and carrying a roll 61, engaging a cam 68, also on shaft 44. The

end of rock lever 65, which is linked to the tape feeding jaws is shown as lifted by spring 69, Figs.

3 and 4, against a stop bolt 19, which can be ad up to the time that the feed jaws have taken fresh hold on the tape, by a second pair of spring closed jaws ll, similar to and below the first and adapted to be spread by an interposed cam 72. These holding jaws or fingers are shown supported at the outer end on a pivot bolt 13, and as positioned at the opposite end by riding in an annular groove 14, formed in the cam 12.

The cam 12 is timed to open the holding jaws II, when the feeding jaws 53, close upon and advance the tape and to permit said holding jaws to grip and hold the tape at the end of the downward feeding movement. This cam is shown as being rotatably engaged on the lower end of the upright cam shaft 51, and as oscillated from a cam 15, on the horizontal cam shaft 44, engaging cam roll 16, on the upper end of rock lever TI, Figs; 2, 2b and 3, said lever pivoted intermediate its ends at 18, and connected at its lower end by link 19, to one end of rocking link 89, which lever at its opposite end is connected by link 8|, with a rock arm 82, fixed to the cam.

The tape is guided and positioned for engagement of the fastener elements thereover by 00- operating stationary jaws 83, Fig. 4, located above the feeding andholding jaws and grooved as indicated at 84, Fig. 9, to receive the bead of the tape and thereby to definitely locate the latter.

When the fastener elements are made of nonmetallic material, such as molded plastic, they U may be adhesively secured on the tape as by the use of cement or solvent.

In the present disclosure, a'small amount of solvent is fed to the bead of the tape where it is confined in the guide channel 84, by a passage 85, in one of the guide jaws '83, and which is connected by tubing 86, with a solvent holder 81.

The amount of solvent admitted to the tape is restricted and carefully controlled in the present disclosure by a valve 88, located in the solvent feed'line 88.

After transfer over the edge of the tape, from the Fig. 4 to the Fig. 8 position, the sides of the fastener elements are closed over the bead of the tape by cooperating jaws88, pivoted at the back at 90, Fig. 7, and adapted to be opened and closed by interposed cam 9-1, and spring 92. In the use of cement or solvent, these jaws are permitted to remain closed long enough for secureadhesion to take place. With metallic fastener elements, the timing need not be so finely regulated since then the function of the jaws is simply to squeeze the sides of the elements tight together over the bead of the tape.

The closing jaws 89 are shown in Fig, 4, as located immediately below the guide jaws 83, so as to operate as closely as possible On-theguided portion of the tape and the forkedtongue 93, of thetransfer slide is shown as thin enough to carry the last severed "element without striking the element last secured on the tape, Fig, 8.

Operation of the closing jaw cam 91, is effected in theillustration froma cam 93, on-ho'rizontal camshaft 44, Fig.4,engaged by'c'a'm roll 94, on an arm 95, fixed to'sle'eve 96, rotatable over the upper end portion of shaft 57, and carryingthe'cam 9|, on-it's lower end.

As shown particularly in Figs. 4, '7 and 8, the inner end of the transfer slide 34, is reduced in width at 91, to operate in'the fastener element guide channel .98, extending from the punch station over to the edge of the guided tape. The blade or tongue 33 is setin'the inner edge of this reduced portion a distance below the top slightly greater than 'the height of one of the'fastener elements, leaving above the tongue 2. feed shoulder 99. The individual elements thus are guided and confined from the time they are cut from the strip up to and including the time they are afiixed to the tape. The strip material simila rly is guided and confined both before and after the elements are struck therefrom. Thus as shown in Fig. 7, the full width strip is guided in the channel IsI, up to the cutting station where the foremost element engages the face of the front stop 30, and then after severance of the elements, the out strip, consisting simply of the rib I5, and the short webs or flanges I 8, from which the sides of the elements have been out, passes across theguide face I00, of the front stop block 30, being confined thereby in deeper portion ll, of strip guide I-JI. At the punch station, the strip is confined in this guide by the overstan-ding hold-down plate IN.

The fastener elements connected in integral strip form can be produced at low cost in any desired lengths, and so connected, the elements .can be fed into the machine, properly spaced for handling by the machine. This spacing may vary to suit the convenience of operations, or special features of the machine, since such spacing is not directly related to or limited by the spacing of the elements on the tape. This strip can be inexpensively produced by special injection molding methods. The connecting of the elements in the edge-to-edge relation locates them in proper position to be struck down from the connecting web and transferred by a simple lateral shifting movement directly over the edge of the tape and into the bite of the securing jaws.

After attachment of the fastener elements, the tape may be passed out of the machine in any suitable way. In Figs. 1 and 3, it is shown as extending downward and to the rear over guide rolls I02, I03, and then down between cooperating friction rolls I04, I05, these being geared together at I01, and one friction roll I04, being mounted on a shaft I08, driven by belt and pulley connections I09, from the horizontal cam shaft 44.-

!Ihe machine may be controlled to manui'acture stringers of predetermined lengths or a single stringer of indefinite length.

In the illustration, the machine is automatically controlled to produce a succession of stringers of predetermined length connected together in predetermined spaced relation. This is accomplished by interrupting the action of the strip feeding dogs at the end of each predetermined cycle of operations and the mechanism for such purpose consists of a slide H0, Figs. 1, 2 and 6, slotted at IN, to engage over guide bolts H2, and thereby positioned over the feed dogs I 8. This slide has shoulders *3, which when the slide shifted inwardly or right-handedly in Fig. 2, will engage over the cam-shaped tails II4, of the feed dogs to raise the tips or active ends of the dogs from engagement with the strip stock. This slide is shifted from an active to an inactive position or vice versa by a rock lever H5, pivot-ally mounted at I-Il6. carrying a roll I II, engagement with a cam II8, on shaft II9, spring I holding the roll engaged with the cam. Shaft H9 is shown as driven by .a set of worm gears l ZIl, and the latter are indicated as operated by chain and sprocket gearing I 22, tom cam shaft applied continuously to the tape fed, through the machine.

Under the present method, the fastener elements are molded in completed form, that is, with 1 the securing lug port-ions M spaced in fully separated relation. This leaves openings I23,

through the strip stock. The punch cuts down through the relatively thin sections of material at opposite sides of these openings. This there- 'fore is a comparatively light operation, enabling the punch to be operated as fast as practicable for the other elements of the machine.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of manufacturing slide fasteners, which comprises molding plastic material into a strip of transversely projected fastener elements in spaced side-by-side relation connected with a continuous longitudinal web by stems having openings therethrough and with the head portions of the fastener elements in wholly separate relation at the free ends of said spaced elements, feeding said strip longitudinally step-by-step in a substantially horizontal plane, severing the fastener elements at the advanced end of the strip longitudinally across the openings in the stems to detach said elements from the web with portions at such openings separated to form jaws and in so severing, shifting the separated elements substantially vertically out of the general horizontal plane of the fastener strip, advancing a tape step by-step substantially vertically in parallel relationship to said shifting movement of the severed fastener elements and with an edge of the strip toward said spaced jaw portions of the severed fastener elements, applying a cementing medium to said edge portion of said tape, transferring the severed elements laterally to carry the spaced jaw portions of the severed elements over the cemented edge of the tape and squeezing said separated jaw portions over said cemented edge portion of the tape.

2. The method oi. manufacturing slide fasteners, which comprises molding plastic material into a strip of fastener elements in spaced edge to edge relationship connected with a continuous web by spaced stems having openings therethrough and with the heads of th elements in separated relation at the free ends of such connected but spaced elements, separating individual fastener elements from the strip of connected elements by severing the stems across the openings therein, thus to leave spaced jaw forming projections at the severed ends of said fastener elements and thereafter effecting engagement of said separated jaw forming portions of said fastener elements over the edge of a mounting medium.

EDWARD KALWEIT. 

